-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
Our Virtual Ashram
- Thread starter Maya3
- Start date
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
You see, Wolf, in Hindi we say 'bell' in two forms - small bells are known as 'ghanti' (feminine), large bells as 'ghanta' (masculine). So in my city, we used to say the first salutation to the Lord loudly announcing our arrival like 'Ghanta dwani' (sound from a large masculine bell) - therefore, JAI BHOLE (or whatever one liked to say, many variations). Let the Lord know that his devotee is here. Our temple is supposed to have been established in 13th Century.
Rameshwar Nath temple, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
Last edited:
Namaste and welcome wolf2025, greetings as well to you Aupmanyavji ~
We who have been practicing the delights (and rigors, if I may say so) of worship and mantra sadhana for some time (or did in the past) need to remember--if we are going to be so bold as to put a very powerful mantra out in the public domain for both new and experienced sadaks (the dharma of that is questionable but I did it too, without thinking, in another post)--then please, we at least need also to remember to post the caveats.
Quoting email responses I've offered to devotees in the past:
H. writes,
Here's a hint about that I offered to another emailing quester. This is not to frighten people, no no no. Please notice I didn't say, "Don't advise embracing a Holy Name." I'm saying that neither the advisor nor the advised should do it blithely.
OM
How beneficial is it to chant the Gayatri even if it was not given directly by a Guru?
Shanti, H.
Sw. V. responds,How beneficial is it to chant the Gayatri even if it was not given directly by a Guru?
Shanti, H.
Namaste,
The all-pervading Light—Tat Savitur—That Light (symbolized by the Sun) which is propitiated by the Gayatri mantra IS the Guru!
The caveats and cautions which should be followed for chanting all mantra (save the Taraka mantra which can be chanted at any time) should be followed, of course:
Trust is everything. Here is a story Guruji used to tell:
There was a young man who went to a teacher and was instructed in the Gayatri mantra. He chanted it for a long time but could never see any results. Impatient, he went to another teacher and got a devil mantra, guaranteed to give quick results.
Sure enough, not so very long after he began chanting the devil mantra, the devil himself appeared to him. The young man was impressed and asked the devil to step a little closer. The Prince of Darkness, who wanted nothing more than to step a little closer (!) still demurred, saying, “I cannot approach you until you tell that shining lady behind you to leave!”
The young man realized the grace of his Gayatri sadhana and gave up all other nonsense.
Gayatri Mata ki Jai!
[Victory to Divine Mother Gayatri]
But also, IMO, for any of us to blithely advise embracing a Holy Name without telling people the practice is not all sweet, tasty marshmallow creme--at least not in the beginning--is unnecessarily a set up for disappointment, especially for our young folks whom we've cheated terribly by fostering the notion that "good things come easy, all you have to do is want them bad enough."The all-pervading Light—Tat Savitur—That Light (symbolized by the Sun) which is propitiated by the Gayatri mantra IS the Guru!
The caveats and cautions which should be followed for chanting all mantra (save the Taraka mantra which can be chanted at any time) should be followed, of course:
- have purity of purpose for invoking the deity
- have bhuta shuddhi, bodily purity
- cultivate devotion, faith and surrender
- do all sadhana with a straight spine
- if a woman, do not chant mantra during the first three days of one’s cycle,
- etc.
Trust is everything. Here is a story Guruji used to tell:
There was a young man who went to a teacher and was instructed in the Gayatri mantra. He chanted it for a long time but could never see any results. Impatient, he went to another teacher and got a devil mantra, guaranteed to give quick results.
Sure enough, not so very long after he began chanting the devil mantra, the devil himself appeared to him. The young man was impressed and asked the devil to step a little closer. The Prince of Darkness, who wanted nothing more than to step a little closer (!) still demurred, saying, “I cannot approach you until you tell that shining lady behind you to leave!”
The young man realized the grace of his Gayatri sadhana and gave up all other nonsense.
Gayatri Mata ki Jai!
[Victory to Divine Mother Gayatri]
Here's a hint about that I offered to another emailing quester. This is not to frighten people, no no no. Please notice I didn't say, "Don't advise embracing a Holy Name." I'm saying that neither the advisor nor the advised should do it blithely.
Some meditation students experience unexpected emotions, such as fear, anxiety, anger, and so forth that seem to rise up out of the unconscious mind. This tends to scare them away from the practice and makes them wonder if something is wrong with them. Can you please comment on this and offer some suggestions to such students?
Namaste, thank you for asking
It’s more than likely that ALL meditation students experience these events at some point in their practices. It is an inevitable part of the process and if one hasn’t, it’s time to acquire and bring in the backhoe of one’s personal mantra and dig deeper. You could even say this is a ‘good’ thing. Remember, mind (a tool of Self) does not realize Self. Self transcends and reveals Itself in a pure, still mind.
“Man” (pronounced maan, short a) means ‘mind.’ “Tra” means ‘beyond.’ Proper use of mantra, therefore, takes the practicant beyond the mind. It is a purifier. If one’s mind can be compared to a lake, at the beginning of the journey, all the so-called negative stuff is happily nestled, comfortable and quiescent, at the bottom—on the lakebed. Undisturbed, shall we say?
The so-called positive emotions are nestled right alongside those other players—also undisturbed. Yep, at some time, you will have to look at those, too. Earnest and devoted practice will make this sludge come up for review in all its mixed and muddy glory to be dealt with and disposed. The waters of the lake become clearer and clearer, but at first it simply looks like a catastrophe is happening. If you haven’t been prepared for this, you can’t help but wonder if something is wrong—either with you, the teacher or the teaching.
But no. Carry on. Persevere. You are on the right track and actually accomplishing something. You can tell by the fact that these very feelings come up. Keep the faith, continue the practice. Like dropping carrots into the soup, you’ll have some pretty pleasant experiences, too, after a while. And then more stick, of course, until the process is complete.
OM and Prem,
Sw. Vandana
Namaste, thank you for asking
It’s more than likely that ALL meditation students experience these events at some point in their practices. It is an inevitable part of the process and if one hasn’t, it’s time to acquire and bring in the backhoe of one’s personal mantra and dig deeper. You could even say this is a ‘good’ thing. Remember, mind (a tool of Self) does not realize Self. Self transcends and reveals Itself in a pure, still mind.
“Man” (pronounced maan, short a) means ‘mind.’ “Tra” means ‘beyond.’ Proper use of mantra, therefore, takes the practicant beyond the mind. It is a purifier. If one’s mind can be compared to a lake, at the beginning of the journey, all the so-called negative stuff is happily nestled, comfortable and quiescent, at the bottom—on the lakebed. Undisturbed, shall we say?
The so-called positive emotions are nestled right alongside those other players—also undisturbed. Yep, at some time, you will have to look at those, too. Earnest and devoted practice will make this sludge come up for review in all its mixed and muddy glory to be dealt with and disposed. The waters of the lake become clearer and clearer, but at first it simply looks like a catastrophe is happening. If you haven’t been prepared for this, you can’t help but wonder if something is wrong—either with you, the teacher or the teaching.
But no. Carry on. Persevere. You are on the right track and actually accomplishing something. You can tell by the fact that these very feelings come up. Keep the faith, continue the practice. Like dropping carrots into the soup, you’ll have some pretty pleasant experiences, too, after a while. And then more stick, of course, until the process is complete.
OM and Prem,
Sw. Vandana
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Thanks, Sassimaa, and I realize my mistake. Member Vinayaka also will say something similar. Wolf, kindly note what Sassimaa has said:
- have purity of purpose for invoking the deity
- have bhuta shuddhi, bodily purity
- cultivate devotion, faith and surrender
- do all sadhana with a straight spine
- have purity of purpose for invoking the deity
- have bhuta shuddhi, bodily purity
- cultivate devotion, faith and surrender
- do all sadhana with a straight spine
You are so humble, 'ji. I wondered if I had been too... well, too something in my delivery. But when it comes to matters of dharma... uh, let's just say that time and again, the white fur on my chest gets tangled up in the diamond-spiked collar which seems to shoot out from nowhere somewhere in the vicinity of my neck and right afterwards, doggone it, this determined barking just comes out! Sigh.
But, oh boy! Like you're waiting for Vinayakaji to weigh in, I'm waiting for Tereseji, Ratikalaji and all the other devis who visit this forum to ask why you omitted reference to the caveat uniquely relevant to the construction of their temple-form? If it hasn't already, the janma (birth) will come when this information will directly relate to a temple-form you and the rest of the boys inhabit.
So, 'tis a herding dog of dharma up there (lotsa meaning intended, let me count the ways
) and I would like to share two direct experiences of mine, about which I've written elsewhere.Some people fear to have a guru. Vandana fears not to. Not long, perhaps two years after she met Guruji, the resident swami who was managing the ashram disobeyed the guru and practiced certain esoteric worship ceremonies propitiating Divine Mother. The area—temple room, altar, articles of worship, everything—where Shakti is invoked must be kept scrupulously clean, both physically and energetically. It wasn’t that the swami wasn’t ‘pure’ enough; the problem was he thought he had enough spiritual power to make the field pure enough, too.
But Guruji knew that Western women, until they were specifically taught otherwise, approach the altar, offer red rice (akshata), kumkum and the arati, etc., while they are still on the first three days of their monthly cycle. The men priests of the olden days never explained why this was such a big no-no; they just screeched, “Impure! Impure!”
The deal is the energy of Shakti during those days is all downward and outward. Yet puja is done to have that energy go inward and upward. The energy aroused and circulating during puja isn’t just in the priest or the Master; it’s all around the field. The Masters teach and so should their students that no mantra save Taraka mantra (OM Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama) should be chanted during that time nor should puja be offered to the deities. Both are purifications but contrary in energy to each other.
Guruji explains that Shakti is like nuclear energy. It can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. That the same power of attraction (va****va--ha ha, spell checker don't speak Sanskrit!) which made a Hitler made a Gandhi. Motive is everything, but faithfully following the advice of the Knowers and Servants of the Divine Mother is good advice. The swami didn’t. Therefore, during one Sunday morning satsang, he had an experience of Shakti rising which he couldn’t control. For weeks afterwards, he was mentally and emotionally unfit for his duties and then finally, he absconded with the address list of the entire organization and left Guruji permanently to start, with the encouragement of one couple who financed his aspirations, a center of his own.
The other incident which came to my direct attention happened to a devoted lady friend who was new to the ashram. Guruji initiated her in the sacred Gayatri mantra. (BTW, he took a LOT of flak in India for obeying the mandate of his Lord to dispense this mantra to qualified women.) Anyway, she must not have heard about that one caveat. She sincerely and devotedly chanted the Gayatri, commenced her cycle, continued to chant and then never stopped bleeding for six weeks. Finally she went to Guruji for that problem and he immediately reiterated the referenced caution--which did, by the way, solve her problem.But Guruji knew that Western women, until they were specifically taught otherwise, approach the altar, offer red rice (akshata), kumkum and the arati, etc., while they are still on the first three days of their monthly cycle. The men priests of the olden days never explained why this was such a big no-no; they just screeched, “Impure! Impure!”
The deal is the energy of Shakti during those days is all downward and outward. Yet puja is done to have that energy go inward and upward. The energy aroused and circulating during puja isn’t just in the priest or the Master; it’s all around the field. The Masters teach and so should their students that no mantra save Taraka mantra (OM Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama) should be chanted during that time nor should puja be offered to the deities. Both are purifications but contrary in energy to each other.
Guruji explains that Shakti is like nuclear energy. It can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. That the same power of attraction (va****va--ha ha, spell checker don't speak Sanskrit!) which made a Hitler made a Gandhi. Motive is everything, but faithfully following the advice of the Knowers and Servants of the Divine Mother is good advice. The swami didn’t. Therefore, during one Sunday morning satsang, he had an experience of Shakti rising which he couldn’t control. For weeks afterwards, he was mentally and emotionally unfit for his duties and then finally, he absconded with the address list of the entire organization and left Guruji permanently to start, with the encouragement of one couple who financed his aspirations, a center of his own.
wolf2025
Member
Yes I Will Surely Keep That In Mind And Make Sure I Follow The Advice Given By All Here.
wolf2025
Member
Guys One More Question I Have Is
Sorry If I am Annoying You Guys
But You Guys Have Been Really Helpful and I Thank You For All Your Help
Since The Time I Started Worshiping Lord Shiva I Have Been Going To The Temple Everyday And Giving Offering's and Prayers To Lord Shiva.
If I Miss A Few Days Of Going To The Temple Will Lord Shiva Be Angry And Take It As A Insult I Do Not Want To Offend My God Who Is Lord Shiva.
I Try To Be As Devoted As Possible.But The Days I Cannot Go To The Temple I Pray At Home To Lord Shiva In My Mind.
I start My Day By Praying To Lord Shiva In The Morning After I Have A Bath.Then I Go To The Temple And Give Offering's and Prayers To Lord Shiva.And At Night Before Going To Bed After My Bath I Pray To Lord Shiva.
So My Main Question Here Is If I Miss A Day Or Two Of Going To The Temple Will Lord Shiva Be Angry At Me And Take It as a Insult.
Sorry If I am Annoying You Guys
But You Guys Have Been Really Helpful and I Thank You For All Your Help
Since The Time I Started Worshiping Lord Shiva I Have Been Going To The Temple Everyday And Giving Offering's and Prayers To Lord Shiva.
If I Miss A Few Days Of Going To The Temple Will Lord Shiva Be Angry And Take It As A Insult I Do Not Want To Offend My God Who Is Lord Shiva.
I Try To Be As Devoted As Possible.But The Days I Cannot Go To The Temple I Pray At Home To Lord Shiva In My Mind.
I start My Day By Praying To Lord Shiva In The Morning After I Have A Bath.Then I Go To The Temple And Give Offering's and Prayers To Lord Shiva.And At Night Before Going To Bed After My Bath I Pray To Lord Shiva.
So My Main Question Here Is If I Miss A Day Or Two Of Going To The Temple Will Lord Shiva Be Angry At Me And Take It as a Insult.
wolf2025
Member
You are so humble, 'ji. I wondered if I had been too... well, too something in my delivery. But when it comes to matters of dharma... uh, let's just say that time and again, the white fur on my chest gets tangled up in the diamond-spiked collar which seems to shoot out from nowhere somewhere in the vicinity of my neck and right afterwards, doggone it, this determined barking just comes out! Sigh.
But, oh boy! Like you're waiting for Vinayakaji to weigh in, I'm waiting for Tereseji, Ratikalaji and all the other devis who visit this forum to ask why you omitted reference to the caveat uniquely relevant to the construction of their temple-form? If it hasn't already, the janma (birth) will come when this information will directly relate to a temple-form you and the rest of the boys inhabit.
So, 'tis a herding dog of dharma up there (lotsa meaning intended, let me count the ways
Some people fear to have a guru. Vandana fears not to. Not long, perhaps two years after she met Guruji, the resident swami who was managing the ashram disobeyed the guru and practiced certain esoteric worship ceremonies propitiating Divine Mother. The area—temple room, altar, articles of worship, everything—where Shakti is invoked must be kept scrupulously clean, both physically and energetically. It wasn’t that the swami wasn’t ‘pure’ enough; the problem was he thought he had enough spiritual power to make the field pure enough, too.The other incident which came to my direct attention happened to a devoted lady friend who was new to the ashram. Guruji initiated her in the sacred Gayatri mantra. (BTW, he took a LOT of flak in India for obeying the mandate of his Lord to dispense this mantra to qualified women.) Anyway, she must not have heard about that one caveat. She sincerely and devotedly chanted the Gayatri, commenced her cycle, continued to chant and then never stopped bleeding for six weeks. Finally she went to Guruji for that problem and he immediately reiterated the referenced caution--which did, by the way, solve her problem.
But Guruji knew that Western women, until they were specifically taught otherwise, approach the altar, offer red rice (akshata), kumkum and the arati, etc., while they are still on the first three days of their monthly cycle. The men priests of the olden days never explained why this was such a big no-no; they just screeched, “Impure! Impure!”
The deal is the energy of Shakti during those days is all downward and outward. Yet puja is done to have that energy go inward and upward. The energy aroused and circulating during puja isn’t just in the priest or the Master; it’s all around the field. The Masters teach and so should their students that no mantra save Taraka mantra (OM Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama) should be chanted during that time nor should puja be offered to the deities. Both are purifications but contrary in energy to each other.
Guruji explains that Shakti is like nuclear energy. It can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. That the same power of attraction (va****va--ha ha, spell checker don't speak Sanskrit!) which made a Hitler made a Gandhi. Motive is everything, but faithfully following the advice of the Knowers and Servants of the Divine Mother is good advice. The swami didn’t. Therefore, during one Sunday morning satsang, he had an experience of Shakti rising which he couldn’t control. For weeks afterwards, he was mentally and emotionally unfit for his duties and then finally, he absconded with the address list of the entire organization and left Guruji permanently to start, with the encouragement of one couple who financed his aspirations, a center of his own.
Thanks Alot For Your Advice and Help I Really Aprreciate It.Very Informative Thank You So Much.I will Follow This Advice 100 % .
wolf2025
Member
Thanks Alot For Your Advice and Help I Really Aprreciate It.Very Informative Thank You So Much.I will Follow This Advice 100 % .
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
There is no God who will forget these things as quickly as Shiva does. Just tell him the reason. He is also the easiest God to please. If you have him in your mind, then it is as good as going to a temple and worshiping Shiva there.
Hindu Gods do not get angry.
Namaste, Wolfji (and pranams to God in all the other Wolves <>2025, as well)
It appears to me that you are of devotional nature, a bhakta. All of your posts indicate that. And like taking the effort to initial cap every word in your posts, you are making way more work than necessary for one whose heart is already given to His Lord. Aupji is correct. First and foremost temple is the one you carry around with you at all times and in all states of consciousness. Tend to your Lord in that one first--the temple of your heart--and be on the lookout (BOLO) for temptations and imposters and usurpers. Once you have given the throne of your heart to the Lord, you will not believe (but you will ultimately be grateful for) the internal upset which happens when your ego tries to unseat the throne's Rightful Owner--the One you gave it to!
But also, Vinayakaji--that devotee of few but insightful words--has identified something for you to examine and which I wish to elaborate on as meditational "food for thought." What heart doesn't already know instinctively, at its root, that anger is not a component of unconditional Love? There may be some mmmmm, teachings, which you were exposed to or will have to "unlearn" OR which, having examined, you found didn't jive with your jiva's stage of development. Perhaps, even, that is what has drawn you to inquiry elsewhere? Anyway, that Love gets angry (at its Own devotee? No way!!) is certainly one of the teachings creating unnecessary anxiety in you. Please release it. It's in your mind, a thought, so even though it's creating anxiety in your heart, go look for the source of it there. Your heart already knows the truth of this matter. Trust that.
Last edited:
wolf2025
Member
Namaste, Wolfji (and pranams to God in all the other Wolves <>2025, as well)
It appears to me that you are of devotional nature, a bhakta. All of your posts indicate that. And like taking the effort to initial cap every word in your posts, you are making way more work than necessary for one whose heart is already given to His Lord. Aupji is correct. First and foremost temple is the one you carry around with you at all times and in all states of consciousness. Tend to your Lord in that one first--the temple of your heart--and be on the lookout (BOLO) for temptations and imposters and usurpers. Once you have given the throne of your heart to the Lord, you will not believe (but you will ultimately be grateful for) the internal upset which happens when your ego tries to unseat the throne's Rightful Owner--the One you gave it to!
But also, Vinayakaji--that devotee of few but insightful words--has identified something for you to examine and which I wish to elaborate on as meditational "food for thought." What heart doesn't already know instinctively, at its root, that anger is not a component of unconditional Love? There may be some mmmmm, teachings, which you were exposed to or will have to "unlearn" OR which, having examined, you found didn't jive with your jiva's stage of development. Perhaps, even, that is what has drawn you to inquiry elsewhere? Anyway, that Love gets angry (at its Own devotee? No way!!) is certainly one of the teachings creating unnecessary anxiety in you. Please release it. It's in your mind, a thought, so even though it's creating anxiety in your heart, go look for the source of it there. Your heart already knows the truth of this matter. Trust that.
Yes You Are Right I Have A Temple In My Heart. I Know That Lord Shiva Can See How Devoted I Am To Him.Lord Shiva Is So Understanding.
Jai Bholenath Ji !!
wolf2025
Member
One More Question I Have Is
Whenever I Go To Worship Lord Shiva At The Temple I Always Give An Offering First And Then Pray. What If I Am Not Able To Offer An Offering Can I Enter The Temple And Pray The Same Way I Normaly Pray To Lord Shiva But Without An Offering.Will This Be Considered An Insult.
Normally I Always Give A Offering To Lord Shiva Who Is In The Form Of A Shiv Linga.I Put The Flowers Over The Shiv Linga as a Offering.Then I Sit Near The Shiv Linga And Offer Prayers.
But What If I Have Nothing To Offer Can I Still Enter The Temple And Pray To Lord Shiva While Siting Near The Shiv Linga.Will My Prayers Be Answered Equally If I For Some Reason Cannot Give A Offering.
Jai Bholenath Ji !!
Whenever I Go To Worship Lord Shiva At The Temple I Always Give An Offering First And Then Pray. What If I Am Not Able To Offer An Offering Can I Enter The Temple And Pray The Same Way I Normaly Pray To Lord Shiva But Without An Offering.Will This Be Considered An Insult.
Normally I Always Give A Offering To Lord Shiva Who Is In The Form Of A Shiv Linga.I Put The Flowers Over The Shiv Linga as a Offering.Then I Sit Near The Shiv Linga And Offer Prayers.
But What If I Have Nothing To Offer Can I Still Enter The Temple And Pray To Lord Shiva While Siting Near The Shiv Linga.Will My Prayers Be Answered Equally If I For Some Reason Cannot Give A Offering.
Jai Bholenath Ji !!
Namaste,
I suspect not so deep down your heart knows the answer to this one, too, Wolf. Insult? You are ascribing to the Almighty petty human ego interactions. God doesn't think, speak or act like a human ego except when He's pretending to be one. If you think about it, our offerings are symbolic anyway. What can we offer the Lord that He didn't create and give to us, that He doesn't already own? One thing and one thing only. By the rules of His own game, it is the nectar of our heart's love offered with humble sincerity that He "craves." You could offer Him the rarest flower, the costliest gem, food to feed thousands--if these are not offered with genuine bhakti, for all the "good" it will do, one may as well not bother at all.
Shantanu
Well-Known Member
Do you think that Shiva is God as Creator and Preserver of the Universe or a good that is good to his devotees?
wolf2025
Member
I Believe That Lord Shiva Is God As Creator And The Preserver Of The Universe.And Ofcourse Lord Shiva Is Good To Everyone.Lord Shiva Takescare Of The Universe So Ofcourse He Does Miracles For All Of Humanity And Not Only A Certain Group Of People.Ofcourse Since I Am A Shiv Bhakt I Have A Personal Connection To Lord Shiva And Lord Shiva Always Watches Over Me And Protects Me And Guides Me On The Right Path.Lord Shiva Has A Personal Connection To All Shiv Bhakts.
But Remember Since Lord Shiva Is God Since Lord Shiva Is The Creator and Preserver Of The Universe Lord Shiva Takes Care Of All Humanity.Lord Shiva Does Things For The Greater Good Of Humanity.
It's just that Shiv Bhakt's And Lord Shiva Have A Personal Connection.Since Shiv Bhakts Are Devoted To Lord Shiva He Is Our Primary God.Some Follow Other Gods Along With Lord Shiva.
But I Follow Only Lord Shiva
Jai Bholenath Ji !!